Why Roughness Will Work In Toronto

Break out the fight towels this season, Leafs' fans. Its gonna get dirty...

There has been much anticipation here in Toronto about the upcoming season for the Maple Leafs. New scoring, new goaltending and most of all; new enforcing. There has been debate over whether or not the fighting style will work for Toronto. Has the league changed too much for this kind of game?

I don't think so.

Let's start with a flashback. Mike Van Ryn skates back to pick up the puck and perform a seemingly innocent play. Tom Kostopolous is right behind him and is lining him up for a check. Next thing you know, Van Ryn is on the ice bleeding and Kostopolous is skating away. Luckily Carlo Coliacovo backs up Van Ryn and takes on Kostopoulos in the corner.

We don't have the luxury of Carlo's backup anymore.

Mind you, besides him Jeff Finger and Jason Blake came into the corner to help out. However the habs matched this and four men came in to retaliate. How can the Leafs be such pushovers? That was the nagging question and it needed to be solved. That is what happened.

Enter Brian Burke. He came in and immediatly toughened up the squad. Orr, Komisarek, Beauchemin, Exelby and Primeau plus rookies stalberg and Rosehill. No more will the Leafs be outnumbered in the corners and when somebody hurts the team, they will be hurt back.

Brian Burke commented that every time a trainer had to come out onto the ice, it was a Leafs' player that was hurt. No more. The team is tougher and can protect all of the players on the squad.

For a team with so much history riding on their shoulders and so much importance behind every thing they do, it is crucial that they control the games. Burke has made that happen and now it is up to the team to make those words ring true.

Tonght it starts, everything counts, and it is up to the Bay Street Bullies to make it happen.